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Aflatoxins (AF) are a group of toxic secondary metabolites mostly produced by strains of Aspergillus spp. fungi. There are several types of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFG1, AFB2, AFG2, AFM1, AFM2, etc.), but the most toxic and the most common is AFB1. Aflatoxins have been shown to possess powerful carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic properties. AFB1 can contaminate feed and food during the growth and/or storage under inappropriate conditions. When animals consume AFB1- contaminated feed, it undergoes various metabolic pathways and finally, it is metabolized into hydroxylated metabolite AFM1, which is possibly excreted in milk if the animal is lactating. This issue presents a huge concern regarding the representation of milk and dairy products in the human diet. Furthermore, climate changes have a significant impact on aflatoxin production. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and improve strategies for controlling and mitigating the occurrence of AFM1 in milk and dairy products. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the latest scientific literature regarding the occurrence of AFM1 in milk and dairy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Plant varieties are the most important achievements of plant breeding. Farmers access to crops new improved cultivars for optimum quantity and quality crop production is very important. Value of Cultivation and Use (VCU) of new cultivars must be assessed and compared with common cultivars through Value of Cultivation and Use (VCU) trials before introduction to farmers. The purpose of cotton improvement is the introduction of high yielding new cultivars having the potential of fiber high quality, early maturity, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Verticillium wilting is the most important disease of cotton in Golestan province. During recent years, new high yielding, early maturity and tolerant to Verticillium wilting cotton new cultivars like Golestan and Latif were improved and introduced by Cotton Research Institute. This research was conducted for the determination of the Value of Cultivation and Use (VCU) of cotton new genotypes and cultivars to be introduced and commercialized in Golestan province. Materials and Methods: In order to evaluate the Value of Cultivation Use (VCU) of new cotton genotypes and cultivars SB35, T3 Hekmat, Sajedi, Armaghan and Golestan in comparison with Sahel cultivar in Golestan province, seed cotton yield and its components and some related morphological and fiber quality traits and Verticillium wilt tolerance, an experiment was conducted during 2016 and 2017 years in Cotton Research Institute Karkande cotton research station. Plant height, sympodial branches, monopodial branches number the highest sympodial branch and fifth monopodial branch length, boll number and 30 boll weight, seed cotton yield, earliness, fiber length, uniformity, fitness, strength and elasticity and Verticillium wilt plants percent were measured. Results: Results showed morphological traits and 30 boll weight and seed cotton yield in second year more than the first year and earliness in second year was more than first year. Also, 30 boll weight and seed cotton yield and fiber quality traits and Verticillium wilt tolerance were different. New commercial cultivar, Golestan had the highest seed cotton yield and Sahel old cultivar had the highest boll weight and fiber length, strength and elasticity. Also, Hekmat and Sajedi, the new commercial cultivars had the finest fiber quality and highest Verticillium wilt tolerance, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of this experiment and the importance of Verticillium wilt in Golestan province, Sajedi cultivar was suggested for introduction and commercialization as a new commercial cultivar in Golestan province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jamun fruit, a member of the Myrtaceae family, is commercially grown in tropical and subtropical areas of the world for its fruits with sweet, sour, and astringent luscious flesh. Seeds of jamun fruits are discarded as trash during the industrial processing of fruit pulp into beverages, jellies, jam, vinegar, wine, and squash. These seeds are a potential source of bioactive compounds including hydrolysable tannins, phenolic acids, flavonoids, other phenolics, terpenoids, phloroglucinol derivatives and saponins, which have been endorsed several biological activities, such as antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihyperlipidemic and antihypercholesterolemic, as well as cardioprotective, hepatoprotective and neuroprotective properties. High contents of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, minerals, and ascorbic acid have also been found in jamun seeds. However, potential utilization of these seeds as innovative implements for health benefits has not yet been fully understood. We aim to compile scientific research and recent advances on jamun seed nutritional profile, bioactive compounds composition, bioactive properties, and their potential as an ingredient in functional food formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lot of several plants have therapeutic potentials. Some of these plants myrrha (Commiphora myrrha) belongs to Burseraceae family and samwah (Cleome droserifolia) belongs Cleomaceae family. These two plants were extracted with methanol. Methanolic extracts of these two plants were prepared. The extracts of myrrha and samwah plants were tested at different concentrations to know its ability to inhibit the growth of different tested fungi in two ways based on the estimation of mycelia dry weight in liquid media and the measurement of the diameter of the inhibition zone diameter of growth in solid media. Four microoraganisms were examined in this investigation. These fungal strains were: Aspergillusflavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus ochraceus and Fusarium moniliforme. Results indicated that terpenes, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, resins, alkaloids, resins, carbohyrates and phenolicglycosides were found in myrrha methanolic extract.However samwah contained the same components as myrrha except resins. Furthermore, various minerals were found in the extracts of the studied plants, including Ca, Mg, Fe, K, Zn, Mn, Cu, Sr, Ni, B,V, Ag,Li and Co . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary metabolites, such as phenolic compounds, play an important role in alleviating salinity-induced negative effects in plants. The present study focused on seed priming and foliar application of a potent phenolic compound, coumarin, to induce salinity tolerance in Sorghum bicolor var. SS-77. Based on pilot experiment, 100 mg L−1 concentration of coumarin was applied to mitigate the negative effects of salinity on Sorghum, grown at 0, 100, and 200 mM NaCl under netted greenhouse conditions. Coumarin was applied to each salinity treatment in four different ways (i) non-primed control (NP), (ii) seed priming (COP), (iii) foliar application (COF), and (iv) a combination of seed priming and foliar application (COPF). Salinity stress significantly reduced the plant growth, biochemical attributes, and photosynthetic efficiency of Sorghum, whereas coumarin treatments (COP, COF, and COPF) showed a significant increase (P< 0.01) in above-mentioned parameters at all salinities. Among all, the combined treatment (COPF) showed maximum increase in growth, biochemicals, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant enzymes, and photosynthetic efficiency parameters. Therefore, it is suggested that a combination of seed priming and foliar spray of 10 mg L−1 coumarin is more suitable than their individual applications. It is an environment friendly and economically feasible approach that will be used to improve salinity tolerance of Sorghum and helpful to get considerable biomass from saline degraded lands to fulfill food, fodder, and energy demands of the ever-growing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most imperative staple food crops, with an annual production of 765 million tons globally to feed ∼40% world population. Genetic diversity in available germplasm is crucial for sustainable wheat improvement to ensure global food security. A diversity panel of 184 Pakistani wheat accessions was genotyped using 123,596 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated by genotyping-by-sequencing with 42% of the SNPs mapped on B, 36% on A, and 22% on D sub-genomes of wheat. Chromosome 2B contains the most SNPs (9,126), whereas 4D has the least (2,660) markers. The mean polymorphic information content, genetic diversity, and major allele frequency of the population were 0.157, 0.1844, and 0.87, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance revealed a higher genetic diversity (80%) within the sub-population than among the sub-populations (20%). The genome-wide linkage disequilibrium was 0.34 Mbp for the whole wheat genome. Among the three subgenomes, A has the highest LD decay value (0.29 Mbp), followed by B (0.2 Mbp) and D (0.07 Mbp) genomes, respectively. The results of population structure, principal coordinate analysis, phylogenetic tree, and kinship analysis also divided the whole population into three clusters comprising 31, 33, and 120 accessions in group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively. All groups were dominated by the local wheat accessions. Estimation of genetic diversity will be a baseline for the selection of breeding parents for mutations and the genome-wide association and marker-assisted selection studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rose is an important floricultural crop that has been exploited for many uses. It is important uses in different industries include, pharmaceutical, perfumery, and food industries that manifest higher flower yield. Therefore, response of Gruss-an-Taplitz to foliar application of chitosan (Ct) solution (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 mg L-1), was evaluated in an experimental field. Ct treatment had significant effects on studied parameters, including plant growth, pigments, enzymes, and gaseous exchange. This experiment was laid out under Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) using three replications per treatment. Ct (7.5 mg L-1) significantly improved growth, in terms of higher leaf area (20.37%), plant height (20.19%), number of flowers (55.51%), flower weight (34.64%) and flower diameter (33.78%) as well as enhancing relative water contents (27.38%) with respect to control. Chlorophyll a (54.60%), Chlorophyll b (12.13%), Carotenoid (8.36%) and anthocyanins (17.09%) were also increased at 7.5 mg L-1 Ct, which showed higher photosynthetic pigments as compared to control. Consequently, Ct (7.5 mg L-1) treated plants showed higher enzymatic activity; CAT (9.94%), SOD (83.87%), POD (64.54%), total antioxidant (35.48%), phenolics (7.41%) and gaseous exchange; Pn (55.65%), E (31.76%), gs (18.38%) and Ci (34.17%) that improved the plant growth and productivity of Gruss-an-Taplitz. Foliar application of 7.5 mg L-1 Ct improved biomass, water preservation, pigments, enzymatic activity, leaf gaseous exchange, and quality of Gruss-an-Taplitz plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. The production and productivity of wheat is adversely affected by several diseases including leaf rust, which can cause yield losses, sometimes approaching >50%. In the present mini-review, we provide updated information on (i) all Lr genes including those derived from alien sources and 14 other novel resistance genes; (ii) a list of QTLs identified using interval mapping and MTAs identified using GWAS (particular those reported recently i.e., after 2018) and their association with known Lr genes; (iii) introgression/pyramiding of individual Lr genes in commercial/prominent cultivars from 18 different countries including India. Challenges and future perspectives of breeding for leaf rust resistance are also provided at the end of this mini-review. We believe that the information in this review will prove useful for wheat geneticists/breeders, not only in the development of leaf rust-resistant wheat cultivars, but also in the study of molecular mechanism of leaf rust resistance in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nutritional and medicinal benefits of Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk. have led to its attention. Here, morphological and pomological diversity of this species was investigated. Most of the characters recorded showed considerable differences among the genotypes studied. The range of ripening data was from mid‐February to mid‐March. Fruit weight ranged between 15.68 and 33.62 g with an average of 24.17. Strong diversity was observed among the genotypes in terms of fruit skin ground color, ranging from light green to orange. There were significant correlations between some characters especially between the traits related to fruit size. Principal component analysis (PCA) classified the traits into 12 main components, justifying 75.07% of the total variance. The studied genotypes were grouped into two main clusters, indicating strong diversity among them. The present information might be used to choose the genotypes with the desired traits. Twenty‐one genotypes were promising because of high values of fruit weight, fruit taste, fruit skin color, and fruit quality, and thus, they can be recommended for direct cultivation and also to be used in breeding programs. The genotypes with superior traits can be further used for improvement through selection and hybridization to get desired traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies were carried out to evaluate the physiological and biochemical changes in pea seeds (cv. Meteor) stored at 5±1°C and ambient temperature 25±2°C. RAPD makers were used to identify any genetic dissimilarity in pea seeds stored up to two years under different storage environments. Maximum germination (98.33%) was recorded in seeds from freshly harvest seeds and minimum was 90% in 2 years old seed stored at 5°C±1. The decline in vigor was rapid in one year seed stored under ordinary condition compared to other storage environment. The α- and β-amylase activity was higher in recent harvest seeds compared to stored seeds. The storage period showed significant effects on alpha- and beta- amylase activity and a decreasing trend was observed as the storage period prolonged. Similarly, peroxidase and catalase activity was also higher in fresh seeds in contrast to α- and β-amylase. Genetic analysis (RAPD) showed 2% dissimilarity in genetic profile amongst the seed lots. However, the seeds stored for longer period regardless the storage environment, have more genetic damage. The physiological, biochemical and genetic changes could be helpful in understanding the mechanism of pea seeds deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wheat, a multi-locus genome-wide association study (ML-GWAS) was conducted for the four grain weight-related traits (days to anthesis, grain filling duration, grain number per ear, and grain weight per ear) using data recorded under irrigated (IR) and rain-fed (RF) conditions. Seven stress-related indices were estimated for these four traits: (i) drought resistance index (DI), (ii) geometric mean productivity (GMP), (iii) mean productivity index (MPI), (iv) relative drought index (RDI), (v) stress tolerance index (STI), (vi) yield index, and (vii) yield stability index (YSI). The association panel consisted of a core collection of 320 spring wheat accessions representing 28 countries. The panel was genotyped using 9,627 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The genome-wide association (GWA) analysis provided 30 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs), distributed as follows: (i) IR (15 MTAs), (ii) RF (14 MTAs), and (iii) IR+RF (1 MTA). In addition, 153 MTAs were available for the seven stress-related indices. Five MTAs co-localized with previously reported QTLs/MTAs. Candidate genes (CGs) associated with different MTAs were also worked out. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and expression analysis together allowed the selection of the two CGs, which may be involved in response to drought stress. These two CGs included: TraesCS1A02G331000 encoding RNA helicase and TraesCS4B02G051200 encoding microtubule-associated protein 65. The results supplemented the current knowledge on genetics for drought tolerance in wheat. The results may also be used for future wheat breeding programs to develop drought-tolerant wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is an important cultivated fruit crop in Vietnam due to its commercial value for fresh consumption and especially for fruit processing industry. A large number of diverse guava accessions, both indigenous and exotic, are available in Vietnam but their characterization, which is needed to identify targeted guava accessions for breeding programs, is still limited. Methods: The phenotypic variation and relationship among 40 guava accessions collected across Vietnam were assessed employing leaf and fruit morphological and physiological characterizations. Result: Range of variation for different leaf and fruit parameters were recorded. Significant correlations between leaf and fruit traits relating to yield and fruit quality were also observed implying a possibility of their simultaneous or interchangeable use in selection. Furthermore, the dendrogram generated from agglomeration hierarchical clustering grouped the 40 guava accessions into four major clusters which are highly associated with their origins. The result indicated that existing guava accessions are an important source of genetic diversity and can be used in the guava improvement program in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, screening of Artemisia dracunculus accessions was investigated under water deficit based on physiological and phytochemical traits. The results clearly indicated that water deficit significantly reduced the relative water content, chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents and increased malondialdehyde, electrolyte leakage, and antioxidant activities. The responses of tarragon accessions to water deficit, however, were inconsistent. The HPLC analysis revealed the presence of chlorogenic, syringic, ferulic, vanillic, chicoric, and p-coumaric acids as major phenolic acids, while quercetin and herniarin were detected as the predominant flavonoid and coumarin compounds in the extracts. Our findings revealed that the water deficit not only increased the amounts of herniarin, luteolin, apigenin, caffeic acid, and syringic acid, but also introduced quercetin that was not present under normal conditions in Estahbanat. Nevertheless, these results were highly impacted by the accession type. The results indicated that Hamadan, Varamin and Estahbanat accessions could be introduced as tolerant accessions. Given the very different responses of tarragon accessions to water deficit and the diversity between these accessions, the findings of the present study could be an effective step in identifying and achieving homogeneous, drought-tolerant and high-yield potential accessions, and may help tarragon breeding programs as well as development of cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is an important source of human food. However, current agricultural practices need modernizing and strengthening to fulfill the increasing food requirements of the growing worldwide population. Genome editing (GE) technology has been used to produce plants with improved yields and nutritional value as well as with higher resilience to herbicides, insects, and diseases. Several GE tools have been developed recently, including clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) with nucleases, a customizable and successful method. The main steps of the GE process involve introducing transgenes or CRISPR into plants via specific gene delivery systems. However, GE tools have certain limitations, including time-consuming and complicated protocols, potential tissue damage, DNA incorporation in the host genome, and low transformation efficiency. To overcome these issues, nanotechnology has emerged as a groundbreaking and modern technique. Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery is superior to conventional biomolecular approaches because it enhances the transformation efficiency for both temporal (transient) and permanent (stable) genetic modifications in various plant species. However, with the discoveries of various advanced technologies, certain challenges in developing a short-term breeding strategy in plants remain. Thus, in this review, nanobased delivery systems and plant genetic engineering challenges are discussed in detail. Moreover, we have suggested an effective method to hasten crop improvement programs by combining current technologies, such as speed breeding and CRISPR/Cas, with nanotechnology. The overall aim of this review is to provide a detailed overview of nanotechnology-based CRISPR techniques for plant transformation and suggest applications for possible crop enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted at Department of Seed Science & Technology CCS, Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar, Haryana from 2013-15 and comprised of seventeen treatment combinations of manures (viz., FYM and Vermicompost), bio-fertilizers (viz., Rhizobium & PSB) and fertilizers. The freshly harvested fenugreek seeds of all the seventeen treatment plot combinations were stored in plastic containers under ambient conditions up to a period of eighteen months. Seed quality was assessed at a regular interval of six months. A significant decline in seed quality was observed in all the nutrient combinations as the period of ageing increased. It was observed that the treatment combination of Rhizobium and PSB along with 75% Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN) recorded significantly higher germination % (87.33%), seedling length (24.77 cm), dry weight (7.5 mg), vigour index-I (2163) and vigour index-II (657) followed by PSB with 100% RDN and Rhizobium with 100% RDN after eighteen months of ambient storage as compared to control. The electrical conductivity (333 μS cm-1g-1) was also recorded minimum in the treatment Rhizobium and PSB along with 75% RDN followed by PSB with 100% RDN and Rhizobium with 100% RDN after the period of ambient storage while the maximum was recorded in control. The study highlighted that the slightly reduced dose of inorganic nitrogen was best when applied in combination with bio-fertilizer (Rhizobium+PSB) for maximizing the storage potential of fenugreek seed as compared to the rest of treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhizoctonia solani (Rs), a soil-borne fungal pathogen, can result in rice sheath blight (ShB), which causes yield loss. To prevent outbreaks of ShB and enhance the sustainability of rice production, it is critical to develop a rapid ShB detection method for specific, fast, and on-site disease management. In this study, a reagent for the rapid extraction of this pathogen was developed for on-site detection. The specificity and sensitivity of a novel SMS RS1-F/SMS RS1-R primer set and a ITS1/GMRS-3 reference primer set were tested, while four different extraction protocols for ShB were developed. Moreover, intraday and interday assays were performed to evaluate the reproducibility of the detection methods developed. The results indicated that all of the developed protocols are suitable for use in detecting ShB. In addition, all the samples of infected rice yielded positive Rs detection results when subjected to TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR and SYBR green-based real-time PCR (SMS RS1-F/SMS RS1-R) tests in which automatic magnetic bead-based DNA extraction was performed. These results indicated that the two molecular detection protocols were suitable for the field diagnosis of ShB for all asymptomatic and symptomatic rice samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought and salinity are the main limiting environmental factors that restrict the establishment of soya bean plants. In order to recommend genotypes for cultivation under adverse drought and saline stress conditions, multi‐environment trials (MET) are needed. However, MET analysis is usually performed considering a single trait, which provides lower reliability in recommending genotypes when compared to multi‐trait analysis. Thus, this study was carried out to investigate the stability of multi‐trait stability index (MTSI) in 46 soya bean cultivars under the effects of drought and saline stress on seed germination and initial seedling growth. Drought and saline stresses were imposed by seed exposure to −0.20 MPa iso‐osmotic solutions with polyethylene glycol—PEG 6000 (119.6 g/L) or NaCl (2.36 g/L) for 12 days at 25°C. The germination rate, seedling length and seedling dry matter were measured. We showed here how genotypic stability can be quantified by MTSI when comparing drought and salinity conditions in relation to non‐stressful environment (control) and how this index can be employed under different conditions. When considering the index for multiple environments, we can select as the most stable genotypes TMG 716 RR, FPS Antares RR, AS 3610 IPRO, NS 7300 IPRO and FPS Solar IPRO among the 46 tested genotypes. Owing to high stability and gains with selection verified for these genotypes under salinity and drought conditions, they can be used as genitors in breeding programs aimed at obtaining offspring with higher resistance to antibiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance in modern wheat cultivars for stripe rust is not long lasting due to the narrow genetic base and periodical evolution of new pathogenic races. Though nearly 83 Yr genes conferring resistance to stripe rust have been cataloged so far, few of them have been mapped and utilized in breeding programs. Characterization of wheat germplasm for novel sources of resistance and their incorporation into elite cultivars is required to achieve durable resistance and thus to minimize the yield losses. Here, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed on a set of 391 germplasm lines with the aim to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) using 35K Axiom® array. Phenotypic evaluation disease severity against four stripe rust pathotypes, i.e., 46S119, 110S119, 238S119, and 47S103 (T) at the seedling stage in a greenhouse providing optimal conditions was carried out consecutively for 2 years (2018 and 2019 winter season). We identified, a total of 17 promising QTl which passed FDR criteria. Moreover these 17 QTL identified in the current study were mapped at different genomic locations i.e. 1B, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4B, 5B and 6B. These 17 QTLs identified in the present study might play a key role in marker-assisted breeding for developing stripe rust resistant wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient use of sorghum as a renewable energy source requires high biomass yields and reduced agricultural inputs. Hybridization of Sorghum bicolor with wild Sorghum halepense can help meet both requirements, generating high-yielding and environment friendly perennial sorghum cultivars. Selection efficiency, however, needs to be improved to exploit the genetic potential of the derived recombinant lines and remove weedy and other wild traits. In this work, we present the results from a Genome-Wide Association Study conducted on a diversity panel made up of S. bicolor and an advanced population derived from S. bicolor × S. halepense multi-parent crosses. The objective was to identify genetic loci controlling biomass yield and biomass-relevant traits for breeding purposes. Plants were phenotyped during four consecutive years for dry biomass yield, dry mass fraction of fresh material, plant height and plant maturity. A genotyping-by-sequencing approach was implemented to obtain 92,383 high quality SNP markers used in this work. Significant marker-trait associations were uncovered across eight of the ten sorghum chromosomes, with two main hotspots near the end of chromosomes 7 and 9, in proximity of dwarfing genes Dw1 and Dw3. No significant marker was found on chromosomes 2 and 4. A large number of significant marker loci associated with biomass yield and biomass-relevant traits showed minor effects on respective plant characteristics, with the exception of seven loci on chromosomes 3, 8, and 9 that explained 5.2–7.8% of phenotypic variability in dry mass yield, dry mass fraction of fresh material, and maturity, and a major effect (R 2 = 16.2%) locus on chromosome 1 for dry mass fraction of fresh material which co-localized with a zinc-finger homeodomain protein possibly involved in the expression of the D (Dry stalk) locus. These markers and marker haplotypes identified in this work are expected to boost marker-assisted selection in sorghum breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species in the genus Phoenix are dioecious, requiring 5–10 yr for sex determination of individuals raised from seeds. Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), an important member of the genus, is grown for food in Middle East, whereas Khejur palm [Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb.] is widely used as a source of sugar in India and also as an ornamental plant in China. Availability of an accurate method for sex determination of male and female individuals at the nursery stage is highly desirable. We designed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers flanking simple sequence repeats (SSRs) found on the whole‐genome shotgun sequences of Phoenix. Also, three previously reported sex‐linked markers were included. Markers mPdIRDP52 and DPM4 proved to be sex linked, as they were 100% accurate and efficient for sex determination. Marker DPM4, unlike the previous markers, showed distinct bands for both "X" and "Y" alleles and proved to be very efficient in sex determination. Validation of the marker using F1 population (192 palms) revealed accurate conformity with phenotype data. The predicted protein sequence of the amplification product of primer DPM4 revealed four open reading frames (ORFs). Basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) analyses showed similarity with some regions in organisms known to exhibit gender genes. Male palms showed a single melt peak in quantitative PCR (qPCR), as opposed to the female palms that showed two closely related melt peaks. Marker DPM4 has been validated with 192 full‐sib palms of known phenotype for the sex gene and proven efficient for marker‐assisted selection of male and female palms in seedling propagation and popularization in Phoenix spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic engineering to divert carbon flux from sucrose to oil in high biomass crop like sugarcane is an emerging strategy to boost lipid yields per hectare for biodiesel production. Sugarcane stems comprise more than 70% of the crops' biomass and can accumulate sucrose in excess of 20% of their extracted juice. The energy content of oils in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG) is more than twofold that of carbohydrates. Here, we report a step change in TAG accumulation in sugarcane stem tissues achieving an average of 4.3% of their dry weight (DW) in replicated greenhouse experiments by multigene engineering. The metabolic engineering included constitutive co‐expression of wrinkled1; diacylglycerol acyltransferase1‐2; cysteine‐oleosin; and ribonucleic acid interference‐suppression of sugar‐dependent1. The TAG content in leaf tissue was also elevated by more than 400‐fold compared to non‐engineered sugarcane to an average of 8.0% of the DW and the amount of total fatty acids reached about 13% of the DW. With increasing TAG accumulation an increase of 18:1 unsaturated fatty acids was observed at the expense of 16:0 and 18:0 saturated fatty acids. Total biomass accumulation, soluble lignin, Brix and juice content were significantly reduced in the TAG hyperaccumulating sugarcane lines. Overcoming this yield drag by engineering lipid accumulation into late stem development will be critical to exceed lipid yields of current oilseed crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review critically examines the recent developments in the use of carbon-based nanofillers as additional reinforcement to enhance the interlaminar properties of FRP composites. The low interlaminar strength of FRP composites results in delamination failure. The various nanoreinforcement strategies and their effect on fracture toughness, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and interlaminar fatigue are discussed in detail to prevent this delamination failure. Important findings on various factors that influence the interlaminar properties of multi-scale composites are presented by discussing various intrinsic and extrinsic toughening processes. Moreover, an overview of simulation techniques is provided to predict the delamination onset and propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the graphene nanoplatelets (GNP)/carbon fabric (CF)/epoxy (EP) hybrid laminated composites were fabricated via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) followed by hand lay-up assisted vacuum bagging technique. GNP were dispersed in two different colloidal suspensions, i.e., distilled water (DW) and N-dimethyformamide (DMF), and the effect of EPD GNP onto CF surface were investigated. The finding indicated that the electrophoretic mobility (EM) of GNP is slightly slower in DMF due to the higher viscosity of DMF (0.92 mPa.s) compared to DW (0.89 mPa.s). Zeta (ξ) potential of GNP were slightly higher in DMF, revealing the non-polar behaviour of GNP being easily dispersed in DMF due to its low polar and hydrogen-bonding strength. However, the higher current intensity was observed for the GNP-DW suspension, implying higher dielectric constant of DW adequate for effective deposition of GNP onto CF surface as confirmed via field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The GNP-DMF/CF/EP composites exhibit the highest flexural properties compared to GNP-DW/CF/EP composites. These findings proved the colloidal dispersibility of GNP in DW and DMF suspensions, respectively used in EPD govern the flexural properties of GNP/CF/EP hybrid laminated composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten morpho-agronomic traits and 80 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular markers were used to survey genetic diversity in 25 chickpea genotypes. Analysis of variance revealed significant variability among different genotypes for morpho-metric traits. The cluster analysis done using morpho-metric traits grouped 25 genotypes into seven and six clusters in Environment I (Env. I) and Environment II (Env. II), respectively. Three genotypes viz., ICCV-96904, HPG-17, ICCV-95503 and L-HR-1 belonging to diverse clusters were identified divergent and may use in heterosis breeding programme. Of 80 random RAPD markers, 25 were found polymorphic. Three major clusters were identified using 25 polymorphic RAPD markers. The genetic similarity coefficient among genotypes ranged from 0.57 to 0.91. The average polymorphic information content (PIC) for 25 RAPD markers ranges from 0.12 to 0.40. D2-statistic, RAPD analysis and study of genotypes performance revealed sufficient genetic diversity among chickpea genotypes which would be useful in future breeding programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To feed the growing human population, global wheat yields should increase to approximately 5 tonnes per ha from the current 3.3 tonnes by 2050. To reach this goal, existing breeding practices must be complemented with new techniques built upon recent gains from wheat genome sequencing, and the accumulated knowledge of genetic determinants underlying the agricultural traits responsible for crop yield and quality. In this review we primarily focus on the tools and techniques available for accessing gene functions which lead to clear phenotypes in wheat. We provide a view of the development of wheat transformation techniques from a historical perspective, and summarize how techniques have been adapted to obtain gain-of-function phenotypes by gene overexpression, loss-of-function phenotypes by expressing antisense RNAs (RNA interference or RNAi), and most recently the manipulation of gene structure and expression using site-specific nucleases, such as CRISPR/Cas9, for genome editing. The review summarizes recent successes in the application of wheat genetic manipulation to increase yield, improve nutritional and health-promoting qualities in wheat, and enhance the crop's resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruits from natural populations of wild jujube (Ziziphus lotus L. Desf.) collected from Algeria were evaluated through morphological and molecular markers. The analysis of variance revealed very highly significant differences for all the morphological characters studied (P <0.001) with coefficients of variation ranging from 7.57% to 31.84% indicating a strong variation between populations. The analysis of genetic diversity between Ziziphus lotus populations using 35 ISSR primers showed a moderate polymorphism (61.31%), a polymorphism information content of 0.35, a resolving power of 2.51 and a marker index of 0.79. Cluster analysis using SM model, classify the nine populations in two main clusters. This classification seems independent to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A straightforward and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of 2-cyanoacrylamide from 2-methylenemalononitriles through monohydration. A series of methylenemalononitriles underwent the reaction under mild and simple reaction conditions with good to excellent yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balochistan produces more than 40% of the total tomato production of Pakistan. The climate of this province is mostly arid, and agriculture around urban areas commonly depends on wastewater irrigation. This study evaluated under groundwater and wastewater irrigation the influence of wood-derived biochar, cow manure and their co-amendment (as 1:1 biochar:manure ratio) at 0.5 kg m−2 (or 5 t ha−1) and 1 kg m−2 (or 10 t ha−1) rate on fruit yield production of tomato, concentration of heavy metals (lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr)), nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of heavy metals (calculated as fruit yield/concentration of a given heavy metal in fruits) and the pH, concentration of mineral nitrogen (N) and soluble inorganic phosphorus (P) of tomato-grown soil. As compared to groundwater irrigation, the biomass and yield production was higher under wastewater irrigation. Organic amendments significantly improved yield production and tended to increase soil pH than control under both irrigation treatments. Wood-derived biochar applied at 1 kg m−2 caused the highest yield under both irrigation treatments. Organic amendments tended to reduce the concentration of Pb, Cu and Cr and increased the NUE of tomato fruits, indicating that fruits require less acquisition of heavy metals per unit yield production. Organic amendments increased the concentration of soluble inorganic P under wastewater irrigation. Our findings suggest that amendment of biochar, manure and their mixture promoted tomato fruit yield under both irrigation treatments, increased NUE of fruits for heavy metals and increased the concentration of soluble P under wastewater irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Despite its economic, social, biological, and cultural importance, wild forms of the genus Phaseolus are not well represented in germplasm banks, and they are at great risk due to changes in land use as well as climate change. To improve our understanding of the potential geographical distribution of wild beans (Phaseolus spp.) from Mexico and support in situ and ex situ conservation programs, we determined the climatic adaptation ranges of 29 species and two subspecies of Phaseolus collected throughout Mexico. Based on five biotic and 117 abiotic variables obtained from different databases—WorldClim, Global‐Aridity, and Global‐PET—we performed principal component and cluster analyses. Germplasm was distributed among 12 climatic types from a possible 28. The general climatic ranges were as follows: 8–3,083 m above sea level; 12.07–26.96°C annual mean temperature; 10.33–202.68 mm annual precipitation; 9.33–16.56 W/m2 of net radiation; 11.68–14.23 hr photoperiod; 0.06–1.57 aridity index; and 10–1,728 mm/month of annual potential evapotranspiration. Most descriptive variables (25) clustered species into two groups: One included germplasm from semihot climates, and the other included germplasm from temperate climates. Species clustering showed 45% to 54% coincidence with species previously grouped using molecular data. The species P. filiformis, P. purpusii, and P. maculatus were found at low‐humidity locations; these species could be used to improve our understanding of the extreme aridity adaptation mechanisms used by wild beans to avoid or tolerate climate change as well as to introgress favorable alleles into new cultivars adapted to hot, dry environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During drought chemical elements in a dry fertilizer go into solution in the soil with difficulty and the nutrients are less available to the plant. Foliar fertilization with Tecamin flower®, could compensate for nutrient deficiency due to water deficit. This study was designed to observe the effects of different application rates of foliar application of Tecamin flower® on growth, yield and field water use efficiency (CWUE) of tomato under water deficit. The field experiment was conducted from March till July 2016 at the teaching and research farm of Diyala University, Iraq. Performance of tomato genotype 'Bobcat', 'Finenss' and 'Hadeer' was assessed by foliar application of Tecamin flower® at (0 and 2.5 mL L-1) and two irrigation levels (50 and 100% based on field capacity). The results showed that chlorophyll content, fruit weight, yield per plant, total yield and CWUE were significantly affected by genotype and irrigations levels and application of Tecamin flower®. 'Bobcat' genotype has the highest value of plant yield (3.39 kg) and total yield (90.19 t ha-1). 'Finenss' has the highest values for number fruit per plant (40.75), CWUE (75.37 kg m-3) and the minimum leaf proline content (2.584 mg g-1). Plant irrigated at 100% had the highest value of number fruit (35.27 fruit), most yield per plant (3.53 kg), total yield (94.02 t ha-1) and minimum leaf proline content (2.557 mg g-1). The highest CWUE (84.50 kg m-3) were at 50% level. Plant treated at 2.5 mL L-1 Tecamin flower® had most fruit/plant (37.61) yield per plant (3.73 kg), total yield (99.16 t ha-1), CWUE (85.22 kg m-3) and minimum leaf proline content (2.437 mg g-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of a major environmental factors affecting growth and yield of wheat in arid and semiarid areas of the world, response of four genotypes of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to mature embryo culture, callus production and in vitro drought tolerance was used in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with ten replications. The effect of water stress induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000). Whereas formed calli on MS medium supplemented with 4.0 mg/l of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) and 0.5 mg/l kinetin were subcultured on media containing different concentrations of PEG (0.0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/l). DNA-based molecular markers DNA (RAPD) were used in this study to examine the genetic differences among four Iraqi wheat genotypes. Results showed that all primers, except for OPA-15 and VBC3-13, produced different-sized fragments with DNA from one or more of the tested genotypes. RAPD analysis detected a total of 92 DNA fragments of which 86 (93.5%) were polymorphic. The genotype Iba99 produced the highest total number of fragments (47), whereas the Dijlah produced the lowest number (30). Primer B-18 produced the highest number of bands (16), while the least number of bands (8) was recorded for primer VBC3-14. The amplified DNA fragments normally ranged from150bp to1600bp.The maximum polymorphism (100%) was recorded for the primers VBC2-6, VBC3-8 and VBC3-14, whilst the minimum polymorphism was produced by the primer B-18. Maximum numbers of unique DNA fragments (11) were detected in Dijlah genotype, whereas the minimum (2) were detected in Furat genotype. Investigation of genetic distance using RAPD analysis showed that the lowest genetic distance (0.40) 40% was obtained between Iba99 and Furat genotypes, while the highest genetic distance (0.79) 79% was observed between Dijlah and Sham6 genotypes. Analysis of genetic relationship showed there were three groups, the first included Iba99 and Furat. The second contained the genotype Sham6 and the most distant genotype (Dijlah) in the dendrogram stands in the third group. In conclusion, construction of genetic relatedness tree can done using RAPD molecular marker, the use of molecular markers will be good alternative to the agronomic selection, where it allow a quick selection and provides the breeder with the genetic marker for drought stress. The results of this study can be used as database for Iraqi wheat genotypes to be used in the future development of new varieties in breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Induction of ovulation is a key procedure for horse assisted reproduction technologies, such as for artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer. The application of hCG remains as the primary ovulation-inducing agent for horse assisted reproduction, but alternatives are in demand to avoid its adverse effects, such as loss of ovulation-inducing efficiency over multiple applications by hCC-antibody production. Despite reports on alternative ovulation-inducing agents, pair-wise comparisons of such agents under similar conditions have been limited. Under such scenario, the work was aimed to determine the efficiency of both hCG and Buserelin at inducing ovulation in Mangalarga Marchador mares raised in the Northeast of Brazil under an AI program. Materials, Methods & Results: Mares were initially selected based on their reproductive performance, the absence of clinical-reproductive alterations and adequate body condition score. Mares in diestrus were randomly distributed in three experimental conditions, received 5 mg of Dinoprost and were monitored daily for estrus detection. After estrus detection, ovaries were monitored by ultrasonography, in 12-h intervals, until the follicle reached 35 mm. At this time-point, ovulation was induced with 0.042 mg of Buserelin endovenously, with 3,000 IU hCG by an intramuscular shot, and control mares received 2 mL of saline solution, also by an intramuscular shot. Both hCG and Buserelin displayed similar efficiencies (P > 0.05) for induction of ovulation and that both agents were effective (P < 0.05) for such purpose, since greater percentages (P < 0.05) of induction on mares treated from those of the control. Moreover, the total number of ovulations in mares treated at the end of the experiment was not different (P > 0.05) from those found in the Control. All ovulations occurred within a 72-h period after treatment. It can be observed that in mares treated with hCG or Buserelin, ovulations occurred both in more mares (P < 0.05) and at earlier time-points than mares from the control. It is also possible to note that pregnancy was not different (P > 0.05) between hCG and Buserelin groups, and that pregnancy of mares treated with ovulation-inducing factors was similar to the control. Discussion: The majority of ovulations in mares occurred within initial 48-h after treatment for both hCG and GnRH, suggesting a similar potential for horse assisted reproduction. Both hCG and Buserelin are two commonly used agents for induction of ovulation in mares. As described here, the majority of ovulations occurred within initial 48-h after treatment, a fact which can be attributed to hCG and GnRH activity, since it can happen in intervals from 36 to 48-h after treatment. Pregnancy rates did not differ among groups. These results are under the working hypothesis that hCG and Buserelin would display similar efficiencies on pregnancy rates. Despite the understanding of hCG activity on induction of ovulation due to its high specificity toward LH receptors and results from a direct effect on diminishing estradiol concentration, increasing LH, and further inducing ovulation within 48-h after treatment. In contrast, Buserelin has a similar functional property but acts upon LH synthesis and its release. In conclusion, ovulation in mares can be induced with both hCG and Buserelin, and both ovulation-inducing agents do not affect pregnancy rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to evaluate genetic diversity in a germplasm consisting of rose varieties. Genetic distances were estimated using three different molecular marker techniques including: start codon targeted (SCoT), conserved DNA-Derived Polymorphism (CDDP) and directly amplified minisatellite DNA (DAMD). According to the results, the average polymorphism information content was 0.37, 0.36, and 0.36 for SCoT, CDDP and DAMD markers, respectively indicating that the studied marker types were equal in terms of assessing diversity. Cluster analysis using SCoT and CDDP divided the varieties to four distinct clusters whereas DAMD markers data, grouped the varieties into three clusters. There was a positive significant correlation (r=0.92, p<0.01) between similarity matrix obtained by SCoT and CDDP. Results suggested that the efficiency of SCOT, CDDP and DAMD markers had a relatively same efficiency in fingerprinting of varieties. This is the first time that the efficiency of the three molecular markers have been compared with each other in a set of rose samples. The results showed that the studied markers had an appropriate polymorphism and thus were suitable for the study of genetic diversity in rose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxins represent a global public health and economic concern as they are responsible for significant adverse health and economic issues affecting consumers and farmers worldwide. Produced by fungal species from the Aspergillus genus, aflatoxins are a toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic group of fungal metabolites that routinely contaminate food and agricultural products. Climate and diet are essential factors in the aflatoxin contamination of food and subsequent human exposure process. Countri es with warmer climates and staple foods that are aflatoxin-susceptible shoulder a substantial portion of the global aflatoxins burden. Enactment of regulations, prevention of pre- and postharvest contamination, decontamination, and detoxification have been used to prevent human dietary exposure to aflatoxin. Exploiting their chemical and structural properties, means are devised to detect and quantify aflatoxin presence in foods. Herein, recent developments in several important aspects impacting aflatoxin contamination of the food supply, including: fungal producers of the toxin, occurrence in food, worldwide regulations, detection methods, preventive strategies, and removal and degradation methods were reviewed and presented. In conclusion, aflatoxin continues to be a major food safety problem, especially in developing countries where regulatory limits do not exist or are not adequately enforced. Finally, knowledge gaps and current challenges in each discussed aspect were identified, and new solutions were proposed., (© 2021 The Authors. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Institute of Food Technologists.)

Cymbopogon is an important genus of family Poaceae, cultivated mainly for its essential oils which possess high medicinal and economical value. Several cultivars of Cymbopogon species are available for commercial cultivation in India and identification of these cultivars was conceded by means of morphological markers and essential oil constitution. Since these parameters are highly influenced by environmental factors, in most of the cases, it is difficult to identify Cymbopogon cultivars. In the present study, Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were employed to discriminate nine leading varieties of Cymbopogon since prior genomic information is lacking or very little in the genus. Ninety RAPD and 70 ISSR primers were used which generated 63 and 69 % polymorphic amplicons, respectively. Similarity in the pattern of UPGMA-derived dendrogram of RAPD and ISSR analysis revealed the reliability of the markers chosen for the study. Varietal/cultivar-specific markers generated from the study could be utilised for varietal/cultivar authentication, thus monitoring the quality of the essential oil production in Cymbopogon. These markers can also be utilised for the IPR protection of the cultivars. Moreover, the study provides molecular marker tool kit in both random and simple sequence repeats for diverse molecular research in the same or related genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Priming is one of the most common methods of improving seed quality. The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of hydro- and osmopriming on the germination, vigour and hydrolytic enzymes (α-amylase, β-glucosidase, exopeptidase and lipases) activity of zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.) seeds. Seeds of three cultivars: Jowita, Kirke and Orys, and Z. elegans fl.pl., a mixture of cultivars (Mix), were tested. The seeds were hydroprimed in a restricted volume of water (200 µl H2O g-1 seed, 24 h at 15°C) and osmoprimed in a polyethylene glycol solution (-1.0 MPa PEG 8000, 5 days at 20°C). Untreated seeds served as the control. The cultivars differed significantly in terms of seed quality as well as response to priming. On average, 'Jowita' seeds were characterised by the highest quality, expressed by the total number of germinating seeds (Gmax) and germination at the 1st and 2nd counts. Mix seeds showed the lowest quality, expressed by germination at the 1st and 2nd counts and vigour. Generally, an increase in α-amylase activity and a decrease in lipase activity was found in hydroprimed and osmoprimed seeds, and α-amylase activity was significantly higher in 'Jowita' seeds than Mix seeds. The applied treatments did not affect β-glucosidase and exopeptidase activity in the tested seeds. Osmopriming accelerated seed germination and influenced α-amylase and lipase activity to a greater extent than hydropriming. Among the assayed enzymes, only the activity of α-amylase may be potentially useful for the seed industry as a physiological marker of zinnia seed vigour and the effectiveness of osmopriming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was planned to assess genetic diversity for yield, yield contributing traits and resistance to spot blotch disease of wheat in two hundred exotic germplasm accessions of bread wheat. The germplasm along with 4 checks were evaluated in augmented block design at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar during 2013-14. The genotypes were evaluated for eight quantitative traits and spot blotch incidence. The germplasm accessions showed wide variability for the studied traits and these were grouped into different clusters using Non-hierarchical Euclidean cluster analysis. On this basis, 200 wheat accessions were categorized into 8 clusters. The intra cluster distance was maximum for the cluster VII (2.431) and minimum for the cluster VIII (1.813). Inter cluster distance was maximum between cluster I and VIII (7.263) and minimum between cluster III and IV (2.292). So, larger the distance between the clusters better the chances of getting transgressive segregants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five different weed plants viz. Convulvulus arvensis, Chenopodium murale, Tribulus terrestris, Trianthema portulacastrum, and Achyranthes aspera were investigated for their entomocidal and genotoxic effects against Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. High mortality was observed at 72 hours in a dose dependent manner. Among all the tested plants, A. aspera was found highly significant which showed 100% mortality at 250 ppm after 72 hours with LC 50 of 87.46, 39.08 and 9.22 ppm at 24, 48, respectively. In combination with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti); A. aspera also caused 100% mortality at 250 ppm concentration after 72 hours (LC 50 8.29 ppm). Phytochemical analysis of all the tested weed plants showed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids, anthrequinones and terpenoids. Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA-Polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) and comet assay were performed to assess the genotoxic effect of A. aspera but no change in DNA profile was observed. Furthermore, FTIR showed the presence of phenolic compounds in A. aspera extract. It is suggested that certain phenolic compounds such as flavonoids modulate the enzymatic activity and, hence, cause the death of larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus. Altogether, current study would serve as an initial step towards replacement of synthetic insecticides to plant-microbe based biopesticide against Culex mosquitoes in future.

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The study was conducted to reveal genetic variability among the released varieties of fenugreek from different regions of India using morphological and molecular markers. Seventeen varieties were evaluated for important characteristics like plant height, test weight, total weight, yield per plant, pod length, pod per plant, pod per axis, petiole length and 50% flowering. In this study, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess genetic diversity wherein fifteen polymorphic primers showed a 57.66% polymorphism. All the varieties were classified into two major clusters viz., cluster-I and cluster-II, cluster-I is further divided into five sub clusters containing twelve varieties namely Hisar Suvarna, Hisar Sonali, Rajendra Kranti, Hisar Mukta, Hisar Madhavi, AM-2, GM-2, AM-1, Azad Methi, CO-2, RMT-143 and RMT-351 showing genetic similarity irrespective of their geographical distribution. Cluster-II contains five varieties viz., Lam Selection, RMT-1, RMT- 305, RMT-303 and Pant Ragini. In morphological analysis few varieties did not follow the pattern of RAPD analysis indicating their phenotypic characters to be influenced by the environmental factors. Morphological dendrogram also showed two major clusters and Pant Ragini was found to branch out distinctly confirming its uniqueness from all other varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on in vitro studies featured during the 2013 In Vitro Biology Meeting held in Providence, Rhode Island from June 15-19 which include regulation of plant defense, pharmaceutical biotechnology, and gene targeting in barley.

An experiment was carried out to assess genetic diversity by cluster and principal component analysis (PCA) for yield and its nine contributing characters in 24 bread wheat genotypes at BHU Agricultural Research Farm during Rabi 2010-11. The cluster analysis grouped all the 24 wheat genotypes into four major clusters. Extreme divergence was observed among clusters. Second cluster with two genotypes (WH 542 and ATTILA) had better yield potential as compared with fourth cluster which had also two genotypes (WL 711 and MALAVIYA 206). The result of PCA revealed that all the 4 principal components (PC1, PC2, PC3 and PC 4) contributed 89.68% of the total variability and accounted with values of 45.38, 20.69, 12.43 and 11.17 respectively. The third principal component had high positive component loading for all variables except spike length and grain spike-1. The result of present study could be exploited in planning and execution of future breeding programme in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food legumes are the main source of dietary protein for a large part of the world's population, and also play an important role in maintaining soil fertility through nitrogen fixation. However, legume yields and production are often limited by large genotype×environment (G×E) interactions that influence the expression of agronomically important, complex quantitative traits. Consequently, genetic improvement has been slower than expected. Molecular marker technology enables genetic dissection of such complex traits, allowing breeders to identify genomic regions on the chromosome that have main effects or interactive effects. A number of genomic resources have been developed in several legume species during the last two decades, and provide a platform for exploiting marker technology. The present paper reviews the available genomic resources in food legumes: linkage maps, high-throughput sequencing technologies, expression sequence tag (EST) databases, genome sequences, DNA chips, targeting induced local lesions in genomes (TILLING), bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries and others. It also describes how these resources are being used to tag and map genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for domesticated and other agronomically important traits. This information is important to genetic improvement efforts aiming at improving food and nutrition security worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

DNA markers in chickpea, targetting resistance genes for different races of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris (Foc), have been identified in chickpea, but validation of these markers is essential for effective use in resistance breeding. In view of this, different simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers were analysed in Pakistani germplasm including induced mutants and some local lines. Most of the SSR markers showed good correlation with phenotypic evaluation of genotypes to different races of Foc and may be used effectively in resistance breeding, except those markers for race 3. Markers for race 3 showed deviations from phenotypic data and the reason might be that race 3 is actually Fusarium proliferatum as reported recently and resistance to this race might involve some other major resistance genes. Poor correlation of markers with foc-3 on LG2 in our study and a recent report of independent segregation of foc-2 and foc-3 in near isogenic lines suggested that linkage distances among different resistance genes need further investigation. Moreover three Pakistani mutant lines (97477, CM444/92 and CM368/93) depicted high levels of resistance to Foc races and can be deployed as a valuable source in resistance breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) can seriously affect the hematopoietic system, with involvement of both myeloid and lymphoid cell lines as well as plasma components. These hematological changes act as a marker for the diagnosis, prognosis and response to therapy. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and WHO websites from 1950 to May 2021 for papers on the interaction between TB and common and rare hematological manifestation. Results: Hematological reactions in patients with TB are possible in both young and old women and men but seem more frequent in the elderly, and they can be predictors of both diagnosis and worse outcome for TB, regardless of whether it is pulmonary, extra pulmonary or miliary. Even anti-TB therapies can cause hematological adverse events, among which some are serious and rare and can compromise the patient's recovery pathway to completing treatment. Conclusion: Hematological screening and follow-up, including complete blood count and coagulation, are always necessary both at the diagnosis of TB and during antitubercular treatment in order to monitor hematological parameters. Short therapy regimens for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) may also be useful for reducing hematological toxicity, especially in contexts where this cannot be monitored. Close monitoring of drug interactions and hematological adverse events is always recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is one of the most important industrial cash crops, contributing to the world sugar industry and biofuel production. It has been cultivated and improved from prehistoric times through natural selection and conventional breeding and, more recently, using the modern tools of genetic engineering and biotechnology. However, the heterogenicity, complex poly-aneuploid genome and susceptibility of sugarcane to different biotic and abiotic stresses represent impediments that require us to pay greater attention to the improvement of the sugarcane crop. Compared to traditional breeding, recent advances in breeding technologies (molecular marker-assisted breeding, sugarcane transformation, genome-editing and multiple omics technologies) can potentially improve sugarcane, especially against environmental stressors. This article will focus on efficient modern breeding technologies, which provide crucial clues for the engineering of sugarcane cultivars resistant to environmental stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]